AI is shaping how brands sell, serve, fulfill and grow right now. The challenge is that many retail leaders are still sorting through what is real, what is useful and what actually drives results across commerce, stores and the customer journey.
Retail Trendcaster: Technologies Shaping the Future of Retail, an upcoming series hosted by Retail TouchPoints, aims to answer those questions. Available on June 9-10, 2026, we’re bringing industry experts and retail technology leaders together for timely sessions focused on practical applications of AI and related technologies. Can’t make it on those dates? Register now to receive details on video replays, which will be available after the webinars air live.
Over two days, Retail TouchPoints will host four sessions that examine how AI and adjacent technologies are changing retail from different angles.
1. Fragmented Commerce: Where Enterprise Growth Breaks Down
This session looks at one of the biggest operational challenges in modern retail: growth across channels that outpaces system coordination.
As enterprise retailers expand into DTC, marketplaces, social channels and AI-driven surfaces, the back end often struggles to keep up. Inventory, checkout, payments and fulfillment can become disconnected, creating friction for both teams and customers. This session will explore how orchestration and agentic AI can reduce that complexity and support global growth.
Key speakers include:
- Serge Hachem, Director of Solutions Engineering, Lazer Technologies
- Frank Kouretas, Chief Product Officer, ESW
2. From Click to Confidence: Elevating AI-Powered Ecommerce Experience and Scale with Shopify, Microsoft & Vertex
This session focuses on the order-to-cash lifecycle and the role AI can play in making ecommerce operations more connected and confident.
Retailers often treat front-end commerce, back-office operations and tax compliance as separate workstreams. In reality, gaps between those functions create delays, errors and uncertainty. This discussion will show how AI-driven insights and automation can help connect those parts of the business, reduce friction and improve decision-making at scale.
Key speakers include:
- Laura Moses, Principal Partner Manager for Shopify, Vertex, Inc.
- Pat Esposito, Principal Partner Manager for Microsoft, Vertex, Inc.
3. Will AI Replace the Store Associate? Separating Hype from Reality
This session takes on one of the most common and misleading narratives in retail technology.
AI is often framed as a replacement for store labor. But in practice, the stronger opportunity may be using AI to better equip store associates, not remove them. This conversation will examine what that shift looks like and why retailers may see better outcomes when they invest in tools that support frontline teams.
The featured speaker is:
- Sam Kliger, CEO, KWI
4. The AI Shopping Journey: What’s Delivering Results for Retailers Now
This session closes the series with an editorial look at where AI is creating value across the shopping journey today.
From search and discovery to recommendations, personalization, customer service and post-purchase engagement, AI is influencing nearly every stage of the retail experience. However, results are not equal across the board; some use cases are proving their value now, while others remain more promising than proven.
Key speakers include:
- Nikki Baird, VP of Strategy and Product, Aptos
- Melissa Minkow, Global Director, Retail Strategy & Insights, CI&T
- Kate Robertson, Editor-in-Chief, Retail TouchPoints
Register now to reserve your spot and get practical insights you can apply across your retail business.
